1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a menu processing method and a recording medium storing a menu processing program. The present invention particularly relates to an information processing apparatus, a menu processing method and a recording medium storing a menu processing program capable of developing, selecting and executing a menu provided to correspond to an application.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, notebook-size personal computers and the like, a flat pointer and left and right click buttons serving as contact operation type pointing devices are arranged in front of a keyboard, and a mouse pointer on a screen is operated by the operation of the flat point, to thereby move to the operation items of a menu bar and to allow the operation of a selected item to be executed by the left click button. Further, some personal computers are provided with not only the flat point and the left and right click buttons but also a scrawl-up button and a scrawl-down button for performing a scrawl operation on the screen, whereby a display content can be easily, promptly scrawled up and down on an application screen using the scrawl-up and scrawl-down buttons without the need to operate the mouse pointer by means of the flat point. For example, if a previous screen is to be returned while viewing a home page through a WWW browser such as the Internet Explorer of Microsoft Corp., the mouse pointer is moved to a menu item “RETURN” on a menu bar on the upper portion of the screen by the operation of the flat point, and the left click button is depressed to select the item.
However, the conventional operations of selecting and executing a menu requires an operation for moving the mouse pointer to the menu bar displayed on the upper portion or the like of the screen by an application using the flat pointer. Depending on the position of the mouse pointer at that moment, the mouse pointer is sometimes moved greatly from one corner to the other of the screen. The operation becomes particularly complicated for the menu which is operated frequently. Thus, it is disadvantageously difficult to promptly, rhythmically operate the mouse pointer. Further, the selection of a desired menu item can be executed by using a shortcut menu displayed by operating the right click button without performing an operation for selecting a desired menu from a menu bar displayed on the upper portion or the like of the screen. However, at the time of selecting the desired menu item on the shortcut menu, it is necessary to move the mouse pointer by operating the flat point. In addition, according to a multiwindow system, a plurality of windows corresponding to applications are displayed on the screen. If a menu operation is carried out in the multiwindow system, it is necessary to move the mouse pointer to the display region of a window corresponding to a desired application by operating the flat point. Then, a selection operation for activating the window is carried out and the shortcut menu is displayed, whereby the application controls the display of a corresponding shortcut menu. This is common to all operations using not only the flat point but also other pointing devices such as a mouse. In that case, a user needs to frequently conduct mouse pointer moving operation, which disadvantageously prevents operations from being efficiently fulfilled.